Shloka 136
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Birth and Boon; Puṣkara’s Glory; Rāma’s Śrāddha; Refuge-Hymn to Śiva
नान्यद्वनं गमिष्यामि नैवायोध्यां च राघव । अस्मिन्वने वसिष्यामि वर्षाणीह चतुर्दश
nānyadvanaṃ gamiṣyāmi naivāyodhyāṃ ca rāghava | asminvane vasiṣyāmi varṣāṇīha caturdaśa
“ഹേ രാഘവാ, ഞാൻ മറ്റൊരു വനത്തിലേക്കു പോകുകയില്ല; അയോധ്യയിലേക്കും മടങ്ങുകയില്ല. ഈ വനത്തിൽ തന്നേ ഞാൻ ഇവിടെ പതിനാലു വർഷം വസിക്കും.”
Sītā (addressing Rāma as “Rāghava”)
Concept: A vow embraced with clarity transforms hardship into sacred discipline; fidelity to dharma outweighs comfort and nostalgia.
Application: When commitments are chosen for a higher good, hold them without wavering; simplify life, accept austerity, and keep your word over changing moods.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Sītā faces Rāma with luminous resolve, her posture calm yet unbreakable as she declares her fourteen-year vow to remain in the forest. Behind them, the wilderness opens—sal trees, a simple hermitage outline, and a path fading into green shadow—turning exile into a sacred vow-scape.","primary_figures":["Sītā","Rāma"],"setting":"Forest clearing near a simple kuti/leaf-hut, with Lakṣmaṇa slightly aside; wildflowers, deer tracks, and a distant river-glint implied","lighting_mood":"divine radiance filtered through trees","color_palette":["forest emerald","lotus pink","ivory","copper brown","sunlit gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Sītā making a solemn vow before Rāma in a forest clearing; gold leaf halo and radiant aura around both, rich red-green ornamental frame, delicate gold detailing on Sītā’s veil and Rāma’s garments, stylized trees and hermitage with shimmering highlights.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate vow scene—Sītā’s serene face and gentle hand-gesture, Rāma listening with compassion; soft forest greens, refined facial features, lyrical trees and a small hut, subtle gold accents suggesting sanctity without heaviness.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Sītā centered with bold outlines, large expressive eyes, warm pigments; Rāma beside her with calm authority; stylized forest motifs, red-yellow-green palette, temple-wall symmetry emphasizing vow and dharma.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Sītā’s vow framed by lotus vines and floral borders; deep blue-green background, gold highlights, peacocks and lotuses as auspicious symbols; devotional composition that subtly echoes Krishna-bhakti aesthetics while depicting Rāma-Sītā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["forest birds","gentle wind","distant flowing water","soft temple bell memory-tone","long pauses for vow emphasis"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नान्यद्वनं = न + अन्यत् + वनम्; नैवायोध्यां = न + एव + अयोध्याम्; अस्मिन्वने = अस्मिन् + वने; वर्षाणीह = वर्षाणि + इह.
FAQs
It expresses steadfast resolve and loyalty: Sītā declares she will share the same forest-exile as Rāma for the full fourteen years, refusing comfort or return to Ayodhyā.
Fourteen years is the traditional duration of Rāma’s exile (vana-vāsa). The verse highlights commitment to a vowed period of hardship undertaken for dharma.
The verse underscores constancy in duty and relationship—choosing solidarity, endurance, and principled living over ease, status, or security.